The Woman Who Wants Us Out, Ctd.

A reader responds to a reader responding to me. Got it? Good. On Malalai Joya, this reader writes:

The fact that she decries US troops, despite the fact that it was US troops that put her into power in the first place, is merely a stronger version of Hamid Karazi's frequent condemnation of US bombings. To me, that suggests that she is a demagogue exploiting a salient issue, not at all a heroine.

[...]

Westerners are looking for anybody to latch onto, any hero that appears to validate their existence, so as to claim progress and victory. But that is a foolhardy endeavor, as we don't have to end up being governed by these "heroes" and "heroines" that we praise.

Third-world nations do not need strong personalities and famous leaders. It suffered from them for far too long. It instead needs good institution-building, to ensure its very survival. The United States should not throw money in the hopes of listening to soundbites from Afghani politicians and feeling "good" about themselves. The United States should throw money in the hopes that, in the future, Afghanistan still functions, so that the vast majority of AFGHANS, the ones we don't see in the news or blogs, live in peace.